Podcasts

If you received an education within the United States you might think that everyone was heterosexual, identified with their assigned gender, would find a partner of the opposite sex and behaved entirely within the box when it came to sexual orientation and gender identity. Nothing you read would indicate differently. The curriculum would not suggest otherwise. Your teachers do not say anything to challenge this directly. The constructs of orientation and identity within the education system most often fit nicely into a one homogeneous package. Yet, if you’re one of the millions of school-aged children who do not fit nicely into this package, you’re probably not the only one to notice—and you might get teased or bullied as a result!Just imagine you’re one of the millions of US school-aged children who think (or know!) you might be different. That elephant trying to fit into the desk next to you has to be one of the most absurd things you’ve experienced. How cruel it must be for the institution to deny your identity on one level and throw it back in your face with derision, harassment and abuse on another. This is a massive problem.But wait! Despair ye not! With us for this podcast is Olivia Murray all the way from Oregon to bring awareness to these issues. Olivia is an assistant professor within the Portland State University department of Curriculum and Instruction. Her focus is bringing about a policy, curriculum and mindset overhaul to the institution of education so that those millions of queer and questioning students are accepted and included. She is the author of Queer Inclusion in Teacher Education.For more information, you can visit the companion website to the book at http://queerinclusion.com/, or buy the book from ﻿Amazon.com﻿.And join us next time when we talk about an even heavier issue—online dating. If you have a personal story you'd like to share with us, submit a 3-5 minute recording (your phone recorder's fine). Give us your good, bad, ugly or hilarious encounters in the realms of romance propagated with 1s and 0s. Send your submissions to ryan.shojinaga@gmail.com.

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